How Concerned Are You That the U.S. Army Is Developing Iron Man Body Armor?

Nothing can go wrong.

Since the chances of luring Robert Downey Jr. are slim to none, the U.S. Army is developing its own Iron Man-like armor with “superhuman strength” to supply to the troops. In order to create a battalion full of Tony Stark look-a-likes, the Army is testing suits made of smart materials that are fitted with sensors, per the BBC.

The suits are formally known as Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (Talos) and they would strap to a solider’s arm and legs. Using hydraulics, the armor would let soldiers carry heavy loads, would measure vitals (like heart rate and body temperature), and would be equipped with a face computer similar to Google Glass.

Another part being developed by MIT is a liquid body armor that would be “made from fluids that transform into a solid when a magnetic field or electrical current is applied.” Since manufacturing these things require more than a Kickstarter campaign, the Army is calling on several industries, like colleges and private companies, to build the armor.

According to the BBC, the Army hopes to deploy them within the next three years. The process sounds daunting:

“The requirement is a comprehensive family of systems in a combat armour suit where we bring together an exoskeleton with innovative armour, displays for power monitoring, health monitoring, and integrating a weapon into that,” said Lt Col Karl Borjes, a science adviser at the US Army’s research, development and engineering command.

At least there’s no need to build a bionic Gwyneth Paltrow, since, well…just look at her.

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